House Passes Far-Reaching Food Safety Bill

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House has passed a far-reaching food
safety bill in the wake of the recent outbreak of salmonella in
peanuts that killed at least nine people.

The legislation would require more government inspections and
oversight of food manufacturers and give the Food and Drug
Administration new authority to order recalls. It also would
require the FDA to develop a system for better tracing food-borne illnesses.

The House passed the bill Thursday a day after rejecting it.
Farm-state members had argued that the bill would be too invasive on farms and had pushed colleagues to vote against it as it was considered under a special procedure that requires a two-thirds vote. It was rejected by a few votes.